Talgo high-speed trains for Indian Railways’ Delhi-Mumbai route: 7 things to know 05-25

Talgo high-speed trains for Indian Railways’ Delhi-Mumbai route: 7 things to know

Hold your horses, passenger! We may soon get to enjoy the luxury of Spanish coaches on the Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains.

Indian Railways is all set to experiment with high speed Talgo trains which, if successful, will lead to the replacement of the existing LHB coaches with these fancy Spanish beauties.

The first Talgo train trail run is expected to head from Mumbai to Delhi. If all goes well with it, following gauging results, Talgo trains will be rolled out on the other routes.

What is Talgo?

Talgo is one of the leading companies in the Spanish railway sector. It started out in May 1941, and has now has businesses almost all around the world. Talgo's headquarters lie in Madrid, Spain.
Here's all you need to know about the Talgo trains that we are about to welcome on our railway tracks:

1. A Talgo 250 can run at the speed of 250 kmph. However, trials in India will only be conducted at 150-160 kmph.

2. Its lighter trains can cut travel time by 30 per cent. In fact, Talgo trains are expected to cover the Mumbai-Delhi stretch by 12 hours, unlike the Rajdhani which takes 17 hours.

3. Talgo train coaches would save up to Rs 1 crore as compared to the LHB coaches used in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. They are also said to require "less maintainance".

4. Unlike that for Japanese bullet trains, no major overhauling of tracks is said to be required for running Talgo trains in India.

5. Amenities like footrests, reading lights, tables, audio entertainment control, etc. are provided for every individual seat. The trains also come with monitors for video entertainment.

6. Talgo trains have the technology to keep interiors pleasant even when the temperature outside crosses 50 degree Celsius or drops below -20 degree Celsius.

7. Talgo's official website also promises shower units, in-house restaurant and a cafeteria car for pasenger coaches.

8. Talgo trains' can also reduce Railways' energy bill by 30 per cent, as its "reduced weight and inalterability against atmospheric agents is translated into lower energy consumption".


9. Talgo 250 was the first high speed train to run in Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, it runs on a daily basis.

10. Pretty and efficient, yes, but these fancy Talgo trains will make train travel more expensive than it is now.


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India’s ‘first solar-powered train’: 05-25

India’s ‘first solar-powered train’

Last year, Northern Railways had fitted one coach of the Rewari-Sitapur broad gauge passenger train with solar panels. (Northern Railways image)

With Indian Railways aggressively focusing on renewable energy, India’s first solar panel-fitted train is all set to commence trial runs shortly. What makes this trial run special is that all coaches of the train would be lit from power generated by the rooftop solar panels.

Last year, Northern Railways had fitted one coach of the Rewari-Sitapur broad gauge passenger train with solar panels. However, this would be the first DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) broad gauge train, in which all coaches have solar panels, says Railways.

The solar-panel powered train will be tested on the Jodhpur division of the North Western Railways. The DEMU train which is being used for the trial run has eight coaches, with each coach fitted with twelve solar panels.

The DEMU solar-powered train which is being used for the trial run has eight coaches, with each coach fitted with twelve solar panels. (NW Railways image)

Each solar panel will generate 300 watt of electricity, which means 3.6KW of power per coach. This, the Indian Railways says will be enough to provide electricity for lights and fans inside the coach. However, enough power would not be generated to run air-conditioners.  (Don’t miss out! Stunning images of Talgo high-speed trains for Delhi-Mumbai route)

Is Railways planning to run ACs on solar power in future? That remains to be seen, says Tarun Jain, the Chief Public Relations Officer of North Western Railways. “We will begin trials of this solar-panel fitted train shortly. We are awaiting some final clearances. After intensive trials, we will be able to gauge the performance of the solar panels. Only then any decision on scaling up the scope of the solar panels can be taken,” Jain told FE Online.

The solar train is not the only green initiative taken by the Indian Railways. Last year, Indian Railways had introduced India’s first CNG DEMU train on the Rewari-Rohtak section of Northern Railways. The DEMU train runs on dual fuel system – CNG and diesel. Railways have modified the 1,400 HP engine to run on dual fuel – diesel and CNG – through fumigation technology.

India’s first CNG DEMU train. (Northern Railways image)

The train comprising of two power cars and six car coaches has been manufactured by Integral Coach Factory at Chennai with the CNG conversion kit being supplied by Cummins.

Solar power plant at Katra station. (Northern Railways image)

Also, a 1 megawatt solar power plant was set up at Katra station in 2015, a move that can save up to Rs 1 crore annually on energy bills. This is the biggest rooftop solar plant built in Jammu and Kashmir and the largest solar power plant built by Indian Railways.



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